Monday, February 25, 2008

Adai

I love the crispy taste of adais and find them very nutritious too. They just need a few hours of soaking and I usually grind them in a mixie (no need for a grinder) and they don't need any fermenting either so they are perfect when you need something on short notice (in comparison to idlis/dosas). At home, my mom would normally make a chutney to go with this or for a sweet touch, some butter and sugar. I make aviyal and find that these two pair quite well too.

2) Grind this with the red chillies, ginger, asafoetida and some salt to a paste. It should be slightly grainy and not too smooth.

3) To this paste, add the chopped onion, methi/spinach, cabbage, carrot, curry leaves, coconut, chilli powder. Add some water if it's too thick. The batter consistency should be thicker than dosa batter but not too thick to make spreading impossible.

4) Heat a wide pan (dosakal) and rub some oil. Pour a spoonful of batter and slowly spread it out by making concentric circles as thin as you can. My mom would always take away a little of the batter from the middle of this circle so she can pour some oil there and make it crispy, so I do that too. Pour some oil around the edges too.

5) Let this cook until golden brown on one side, flip over and let the other side cook as well. Serve hot for a filling and tasty meal.

Kalai, Thanks! i was introduced to the adai-aviyal combination much later too.. but liked it a lot.

Thank you Cham & Anu.

Uma, oh you should post your version sometime.

Dhivya, thankfully my husband likes adai too.. so i make it quite often.

Sreelu, Thank you so much! it's very easy, forgiving and versatile so definitely try it.

Madhu, i was skeptical the very first time I added, my mom only adds carrots but the cabbage worked great.

Thank you Deepa!

TBC, if my husband would stop with the jaggery, i'd be glad to skip the aviyal but he dabs big chunks of butter as well so with aviyal, atleast he can go easy on the butter.. and get some veggies in as well. BUt i agree, jaggery + butter is ultimate.. if only it wasn't so fattening.. *sigh*

Richa, the more loaded it is the better it tastes :) My grandma always had little chips of coconut in her adai and I loved biting into them.

Red Chillies, you are so right.. this is an everything but the kitchen sink kinda recipe.. :)

Superchef - i haven't see the ready made batters for adai. That's good to know.

Namratha.. do try it sometime.. Very filling and good... :)

Aparna, definitely.

Thank you Sagari.. do try sometime and let me know.

Thank you Sig. Many restaurants serve them with aviyal. My mom never made it though..

Thank you EC. Do try it and let me know how you liked it.

Sra, am sorry but i've not made them without rice... but i'm thinking that the consistency will probably be like pesarattu/chilas? I don't mind adding rice, esp. coz I can add brown rice with no difference in taste... also get all the amino acids this way :)

Thank you Srivalli! :) Me too.

Nags, Thank you. I haven't tasted these at any restaurant so far... must order it sometime.

Sowmya, i like the flavor of the veggies and seriously you won't detect the brown rice at all. Trust me.